Pension Schemes Act 1993

Minimum contributions: members of appropriate personal pension schemes E+W+S

43 Payment of minimum contributions to personal pension schemes. E+W+S

(1) Subject to the following provisions of this Part, the Secretary of State shall, except in such circumstances as may be prescribed, pay minimum contributions in respect of an employed earner for any period during which the earner—

(a) is over the age of 16 but has not attained pensionable age;

(b) is not a married woman or widow who has made an election which is still operative that her liability in respect of primary Class 1 contributions shall be a liability to contribute at a reduced rate; and

(c) is a member of an appropriate personal pension scheme which is for the time being the earner’s chosen scheme.

(2) Subject to subsection (3), minimum contributions in respect of an earner shall be paid to the trustees or managers of the earner’s chosen scheme.

(3) In such circumstances as may be prescribed minimum contributions shall be paid to a prescribed person.

(4) Where the condition mentioned in subsection (1)(a) or (c) ceases to be satisfied in the case of an earner in respect of whom the Secretary of State is required to pay minimum contributions, the duty of the Secretary of State to pay them shall cease as from a date determined in accordance with regulations.

(5) If the Secretary of State pays an amount by way of minimum contributions which he is not required to pay, he may recover it—

(a) from the person to whom he paid it, or

(b) from any person in respect of whom he paid it.

(6) If the Secretary of State pays in respect of an earner an amount by way of minimum contributions which he is required to pay, but does not pay it to the trustees or managers of the earner’s chosen scheme, he may recover it from the person to whom he paid it or from the earner.

Commencement Information

I1 Ss. 1-187 in force at 7.2.1994 by S.I. 1994/86, art. 2

44 Earner’s chosen scheme. E+W+S

(1) Where an earner and the trustees or managers of an appropriate personal pension scheme have jointly given notice to the Secretary of State, in such manner and form and with such supporting evidence as may be prescribed—

(a) that the earner is, or intends to become, a member of the scheme and wishes minimum contributions in respect of him to be paid to the scheme under section 43;

(b) that the trustees or managers have agreed to accept him as a member of the scheme and to receive such minimum contributions in respect of him,

that scheme is the earner’s chosen scheme for the purposes of section 43 as from a date determined in accordance with regulations and specified in the notice, unless at that date some other appropriate scheme is the earner’s chosen scheme for those purposes.

(2) Either an earner or the trustees or managers of the scheme may cancel a notice under subsection (1) by giving notice to that effect to the Secretary of State at such time and in such manner and form as may be prescribed.

(3) When a notice under subsection (2) is given, the scheme ceases to be the earner’s chosen scheme as from a date determined in accordance with regulations and specified in the notice.

Commencement Information

I1 Ss. 1-187 in force at 7.2.1994 by S.I. 1994/86, art. 2

45 Amount of minimum contributions. E+W+S

(1) Subject to subsection (2), in relation to any tax week falling within a period for which the Secretary of State is required to pay minimum contributions in respect of an earner, the amount of those contributions shall be an amount equal to the aggregate amount of the reductions in Class 1 contributions which would fall to be made under section 41(1) if any employment of his which is not contracted-out were contracted-out employment.

(2) Where—

(a) subsection (1) applies;

(b) the tax year in which the tax week falls ends before such date as may be prescribed; and

(c) the earner was over the age of 30 on the 6th April with which the tax year began,

there shall be added to the amount payable under that subsection an amount equal to 1 per cent. of so much of those earnings as respects which those reductions would fall to be made.

(3) Regulations may make provision—

(a) for earnings to be calculated or estimated in such manner and on such basis as may be prescribed for the purpose of determining whether any, and if so what, minimum contributions are payable in respect of them;

(b) for the adjustment of the amount which would otherwise be payable by way of minimum contributions so as to avoid the payment of trivial or fractional amounts;

(c) for the intervals at which, for the purposes of minimum contributions, payments of earnings are to be treated as made;

(d) for the manner in which an earner’s age is to be verified for the purposes of subsection (2);

(e) for this section to have effect in prescribed cases as if for any reference to a tax week there were substituted a reference to a prescribed period, and for the references to a tax week in section 41(1) to have effect accordingly so far as they apply for the purposes of this section;

(f) as to the manner in which and time at which or period within which minimum contributions are to be made.

Commencement Information

I1 Ss. 1-187 in force at 7.2.1994 by S.I. 1994/86, art. 2

[F1 45A Determination and alteration of rates of minimum contributions under section 45 E+W+S

(1) The Secretary of State shall at intervals of not more than five years lay before each House of Parliament—

(a) a report by the Government Actuary or the Deputy Government Actuary on the percentages which, in his opinion, are required to be specified in an order under this section so as to reflect the cost of providing benefits of an actuarial value equivalent to that of the benefits which, under section 48A, are foregone by or in respect of members of appropriate personal pension schemes,

(b) a report by the Secretary of State stating what, in view of the report under paragraph (a), he considers those percentages should be, and

(c) a draft of an order under subsection (2).

(2) An order under this subsection—

(a) shall have effect in relation to a period of tax years (not exceeding five), and

(b) may, for each of the tax years for which it has effect, specify different percentages in respect of earners by reference to their ages on the last day of the preceding year (the percentage for each group of earners being “the appropriate age-related percentage” in respect of earners in that group for the purposes of section 45).

(3) If the draft of an order under subsection (2) is approved by resolution of each House of Parliament, the Secretary of State shall make the order in the form of the draft.

(4) An order under subsection (2) shall have effect from the beginning of such tax year as may be specified in the order, not being a tax year earlier than the second after that in which the order is made.

(5) Subsection (2) is without prejudice to the generality of section 182]

Textual Amendments

F1 S. 45A inserted (13.3.1996 for specified purposes) by Pensions Act 1995 (c. 26), ss. 138(5), 180(1); S.I. 1996/778, art. 2(1), Sch. Pt. 1; S.I. 1997/664, art. 2(3), Sch. Pt. 2

[F2 45B Money purchase and personal pension schemes: verification of ages E+W+S

(1) Regulations may make provision for the manner in which an earner’s age is to be verified in determining the appropriate age-related percentages for the purposes of sections 42A and 45(1).

(2) Information held by the Secretary of State as to the age of any individual may, whether or not it was obtained in pursuance of regulations under subsection (1), be disclosed by the Secretary of State—

(a) to the trustees or managers of a money purchase contracted-out scheme or an appropriate personal pension scheme, and

(b) to such other persons as may be prescribed,

in connection with the making of payments under section 42A(3) or the payment of minimum contributions.]

Textual Amendments

F2 S. 45B inserted (6.4.1996 for specified purposes, 6.4.1997 in so far as not already in force) by Pensions Act 1995 (c. 26), ss. 139, 180(1); S.I. 1996/778, art. 2(5)(a), Sch. Pt. V; S.I. 1997/664, art. 2(3), Sch. Pt. II